


this ain't my mama's broken heart

by Fives (janfives90)



Series: ain't going out like that [4]
Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, Oneshot, weird west au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-21 18:43:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21060665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janfives90/pseuds/Fives
Summary: “Looking for anything in particular, miss?”“Just supplies,” Greene says with a smile. “I’m passing through.”The shopkeep nods. “One of the wagon trains?”“No. Horseback.”





	this ain't my mama's broken heart

The general store in the small trailside town is quiet when Greene walks in, her fingers pulling her curls away from her face and her breath soft and calm. The shopkeep behind the counter, a young woman her age, studies her as she enters.

“Looking for anything in particular, miss?”

“Just supplies,” Greene says with a smile. “I’m passing through.”

The shopkeep nods. “One of the wagon trains?”

“No. Horseback.”

“In a dress like that? You’d be better off in pants.”

Greene laughs. “I know. I haven’t had the time to get something more appropriate for my travel method.”

“Well. Let me know if I can help with that.” The shopkeep gestures towards one side of the store. “If you need food, take a look over there. Clothing’s on the other side.”

Greene gives a small nod. “Thank you.”

* * *

“Should it be taking this long?” Greene murmurs, sitting on the edge of the bed Emma is sprawled on top of. “What’s this magic doing to you?

“It’s nothing,” Emma says through gritted teeth. “Just needs to work itself out.” She reaches a fumbling hand for the potion on the table next to her, and Greene stops her, gently picking the bottle up for her.

“This is almost empty,” Greene whispers. “You can’t just keep going like this.”

“I’ll be fi-” Emma’s words choke off in a moan of pain as her whole body tenses, sparks of magical energy coursing over her and making her twitch. “Oh, God,” she mumbles, her eyes squeezing shut.

Greene bites her lip and reaches out, running her hand up and down Emma’s back. “I’m sorry. God, Emma, I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Emma chokes out. “Shouldn’t have had you practice while I was still recovering from that bullet. You’re still so new.”

Greene swallows. “Why did you?”

Emma turns her head and looks up at her, hazel eyes watery and filled with pain. “Guess I wanted to make sure you could protect yourself. I dunno.” She shudders again, writhing, clutching at the sheets as the energy floods over her.

The guilt settles heavy in Greene’s stomach.

If she can’t get control of her magic, this will only happen again. It could happen to anyone.

She already can’t handle it happening to Emma.

“Please. Tell me what to do.”

Emma gives a dry laugh. “There’s nothing you _can_ do, Greene. Potion magic is so specialized that I can’t even do it, let alone try to teach it to you. I’m sure not going to ask you to go back to Edgewater to get more. I just need….” She shudders again. “I need to suck it up until it… wears off.”

As she watches Emma buckle under the pain, something settles in Greene, a calm determination and instinct. She takes Emma’s face in her hands and rests their foreheads together, ignoring the far softer jolts of the energy vibrating off of Emma and into Greene’s touch.

“Emma Nolan. You are going to keep yourself safe and alive. I demand it. Understand?”

There’s a faint light in Emma’s eyes, like something magical is taking hold within her head, and she nods. “I understand.”

“When I get back, we’ll see what we can do.”

Emma blinks, looking a bit confused, and she shakes her head. “Where are you going?”

“I need to run some errands.” Greene taps her foot against the bag next to the bed. “There’s plenty of food in here. You’ll be okay.”

“What about you?”

“I’m fine. I promise.”

She hesitates, unsure of how she wants to proceed. Then she presses a scorching kiss to Emma’s lips, hard enough that, when she lingers for a second after they separate, she feels Emma’s breath panting against her own.

“Emma,” she whispers.

“…Yes?”

“My name is Alyssa.”

Emma’s eyes open quickly, surprised, but before she can say anything, Alyssa kisses her again.

She lets it go on a bit longer than she had planned, then she grabs one of her bags and walks out of the room.

* * *

Alyssa pulls Emma’s cowboy hat down, shadowing her eyes, sliding her hands into the pockets of the pants she bought at the general store. Dark gray pants, a white button-down shirt, a black waistcoat, and a blue bandana tied around her neck.

She checks the road in the middle of Edgewater carefully before she steps into it, her head down, ducking around the corner and slipping into the back door of the saloon.

It took a while to ride her horse back to her hometown.

She prays that it’s worth it.

“Gonzales,” she says, as loud as she dares. _“Gonzales!”_

There’s a slight thud from the front of the saloon, and the barkeep walks into the back room, looking confused. “Greene? What in God’s name are you doing here? I thought…”

“I’m fine. I need to ask you something.”

Gonzales shakes her head, frowning, not seeming to be listening to Alyssa. “I thought that train robber kidnapped you?”

Alyssa blinks. “No. She didn’t. She’s not even really a train robber.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was framed for something she didn’t do, okay?” Alyssa shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. That’s not what’s important right now. I need something from you. I-I need…” She swallows. “Look, the stranger bought something from you when we were still in town. A-A…” She pauses, taking in a shaky breath. “A potion,” she whispers.

If she thought she knew what silence felt like before, she was wrong.

There was nothing more silent than the moment after she said those words, when her childhood friend stared at her with a mixture of curiosity, horror, and pure fear.

“Why… What makes you… I-I…” Gonzales takes a small step back, her hands trembling. “Greene, I…”

“Wait. Just wait. Please. I _need_ it, Gonzales. Please. I’m begging you. I…” Alyssa clears her throat, trying not to cry as she pushes up her sleeve.

Gonzales’ eyes immediately snap to the tattoo on Alyssa’s arm, and, in that moment, she realizes that it’s true.

One of her best friends has been a magician this whole time, and Alyssa never knew anything about it.

“Oh,” Gonzales whispers.

“Please understand,” Alyssa murmurs. “I’m trying to figure this whole thing out. The stranger… she’s helping me. She’s _good,_ Gonzales. And I need her help. But in order for that to work, I need another one of those potions. I’m begging you. If you’re still my friend, if there’s any goodwill from our childhood. Please.”

Gonzales takes in a slow breath. “Greene,” she says softly. “You don’t need to beg me. I understand, okay? I needed someone, too.” She pauses. “I’ll go get it. No charge.”

Alyssa lets out a shaky sigh. “I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Greene.”

* * *

She thinks she gets back to her horse unnoticed.

She’s wrong.

_“Alyssa!”_

She turns at the exact moment that her mother grabs her in a rib-crushing hug. Alyssa doesn’t move, standing still and stiff until Veronica Greene steps back, clutching her daughter’s shoulders.

“Where have you _been?”_ Veronica looks close to tears, looking Alyssa up and down as if expecting her to be injured. “I thought that criminal had taken you.”

“I went with her willingly, Mother,” Alyssa says quietly.

Veronica’s hands slip off of Alyssa’s shoulders. “Excuse me?”

“I… She didn’t take me. She didn’t kidnap me. She didn’t coerce me. I went with her. I need her help.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would you need some criminal’s help?”

“She’s _not_ a criminal. And I need her help because…” Alyssa swallows. “Because I need to find out who killed my father.”

Veronica stares at her for a long moment. “What?”

“I need to find out who killed Father,” Alyssa says, a touch of desperation in her voice. “I know you would want me to let it go. I know it’s been a while. But he would’ve come back if he was alive, Mother, and I… I just… I need to find out who took him from us.”

Her mother starts shaking her head, eyes wide.

“Mother, _please._ Please listen to me. I’m going to figure it out. The stranger will help me. I trust her, and you can trust her, too. I _will_ find who killed Father.”

“Alyssa…” Veronica takes a small step back. “Alyssa, your father is still alive.”

“What?” Alyssa laughs and shakes her head. “No, he can’t be. He _would have come back.”_

“Honey… He didn’t. He didn’t want to be in Edgewater anymore. He wanted adventure, and he went to find it. I got a letter from him not long after, explaining that he wasn’t going to come back.” Veronica reaches out to stroke Alyssa’s cheek. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to ruin your image of him.”

Alyssa jerks away from her touch. “No. You’re wrong. You’re _wrong,_ and I’m going to _prove it.”_ She grabs her horse’s reins and hops up.

“Alyssa, don’t be foolish. You belong _here,_ not with some rogue.”

She shakes her head, unable to even glance at her mother. “You’re wrong,” she whispers.

_“Alyssa!”_

She puts her horse into a gallop, not looking back.

* * *

Alyssa shoves open the door to the room she’s been sharing with Emma, her breathing ragged, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“I-I need to-”

She breaks off, her voice choking, when she realizes that the room is empty.

Alyssa closes the door behind her and takes a few steps inside, looking around.

The bag of supplies is lying on the floor, virtually untouched. Everything is almost as she left it.

The room is just… empty.

Emma is gone.

Alyssa sits down on the bed, her hands shaking, trying to force herself to stay calm.

It hits her, then, that she told Emma to keep herself safe.

And the safest place for Emma Nolan to be is nowhere near Alyssa Greene.


End file.
